From Vineyard to Cellar: The Journey That Gives Life to Wine

Every year at Bugno Martino, the moment that truly marks the beginning of a new vintage doesn’t happen in the cellar — it happens in the vineyard. That’s where everything starts, among the rows, under the late-summer sun or the first cool breezes of September.

Harvest is not just an agricultural act: it’s an act of listening. We taste the berries, observe the clusters, breathe in the aromas of the grapes. Each parcel tells its own story, and we try to understand when the right moment has arrived. There is no universal date: only a fragile, precious balance between aromatic, sugar, and polyphenolic ripeness. And when that balance comes, you feel it.

Harvesting is done by hand, because certain decisions aren’t taken by looking at numbers, but by looking closely at each cluster. And so, crate after crate, the grapes are carried straight to the cellar — a short, direct journey, without waiting and without shortcuts.

The Heart of Fermentation: Our Indigenous Yeasts

One of the most important steps in our work is preparing the pied de cuve, the small pre-ferments created with indigenous yeasts. This too begins in the vineyard: before harvest, we hand-select the best, healthiest, perfectly ripe clusters. From them we create a small batch of must that ferments spontaneously and will then be used to start all the other fermentations.

It’s a deliberate, identity-defining choice: we want our wine to speak of our territory, of its microflora and of the deep connection between the land and the cellar. Indigenous yeasts are more delicate and capricious than selected ones, but they give life to aromas and nuances that would not exist otherwise.

Slow Fermentations and Careful Rackings

Once fermentation begins, we let time take the lead. We prefer slow, steady fermentations, able to respect the grapes and guide their transformation without stress.

When fermentation is complete, our intervention remains minimal: we work only with a few carefully executed rackings, nothing more. No aggressive filtrations, no unnecessary corrections. Just small, thoughtful movements that help the wine clarify naturally while preserving its aromas, balance, and authenticity.

From Cluster to the Wine’s Own Voice

“From vineyard to cellar” is not just the physical passage of grapes: it is the invisible thread connecting land, work, and intention. Everything that happens after harvest is simply the continuation of what came before: the quality of the wine is born outdoors, but it finds its identity in the quiet of the cellar.

And it is precisely in that silence that each wine finds its voice.
A voice that speaks of living matter, coherent choices, and respect. A voice that tells who we are: a small, hands-on winery that believes in craft, in the yeasts of its own land, and in the time needed to let something good grow.

“From vineyard to cellar” is a short journey, perhaps. But it is the most important one.
Because it is the moment when grapes stop being fruit and begin becoming a story you can drink.